On April 21, 1955, the Broadway original script "Inherit the Wind" compiled byandscreened at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and participated in 806 shows
. In March 1956, Stanley Kramer bought the screen rights to the screenplay for $200,000
.
Most of the actions and dialogues in the court scenes of the film screenwriters Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith are taken from real court records. Although the film is adapted from actual cases, the film has been adapted in some respects, such as the names of the main characters: Clarence Darrow changed to Henry Drummond; William Jennings Bryan changed to Matthew Harrison Brady ; H·L·Menken changed to E·K·Hernbeck; John Skop changed to Burt Katz. The screenwriters also added two fictional characters, "Reverend Brown" and "Rachel", and made some fictional plots
.
